RICHARD II (Shake-Scene Theatre Company)*****

 

By Cal

Link: https://www.patreon.com/shakesceneshakespeare

Available until: Unknown

Richard II marks the beginning of a long history cycle which has sadly skipped King John, but he did reign quite a long time before Richard II. The other history plays more or less move from one King to the next. Judging from Shake-Scene’s performance of Richard II, it’s going to be a very exciting cycle. Richard III will not officially be part of this cycle as Shake-Scene have done this play already, but as we haven’t watched it yet, we will be sticking it on the end after Henry VI Part III.

RICHARD II (The Shows Must Go On)***

 

By Emma

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Tzf3FZYqKM&t=1s

Available until: 16^th November 2020

I think it must be really difficult to be a man sometimes. We say men have it easy but they don’t always because there’s so much pressure on them. If a man said he didn’t think Fiona Shaw was very good as Richard II in her 1997 film, you’d probably get loads of women calling him sexist. But he might not have a problem with women playing Richard II – just with one specific woman.

RICHARD II (Shakespeare Happy Hours)***

 

By Alan

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wd_qTG5eLMk

Available until: indefinitely

I don’t really enjoy Richard II as much as the other history plays. Maybe it’s because it’s not very historically accurate – the War of the Roses wasn’t really all Richard II’s fault and I’m not sure who the Queen is supposed to be. His first wife Anne died 16 years before the time when the play starts and his second ‘wife’ Isabella was eight years old. So she can’t really be either of them but there isn’t anyone else she could be. Invented characters aren’t all bad because I like Falstaff but he really added something and he might not be completely invented as he is thought to be based on several real people.